The ole' scenario switcharoo
by TigreMalabarista
Summary: The suit takes on a mind of its own when Ralph is injured in a car wreck, causing surprises for him, Bill and Pam. Rated T for violence, language, some mild adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The suit takes on a mind of its own when Ralph is injured in a car wreck, causing surprises for him, Bill and Pam. Rated T for violence, language, some mild adult situations. Dedicated to HD and Lone Wolfette for helping me with the nuances in the story.

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It was a warm spring morning as a tan sedan carrying two passengers rolled along the road. Bill was driving home from the desert after an early morning working out suit scenarios with Ralph. He glanced at the younger man, who was sitting on the passenger side taking a nap. Bill didn't disturb him as he knew Ralph needed to stay awake when he got to the school. He didn't want the kid to have to answer some very revealing questions because he passed out from exhaustion.

Ralph and Bill had a long morning fine-tuning some of the suit powers. It wasn't completely smooth, however, after Ralph tried another power again after a long hiatus from it. When Ralph tried telekinesis on Bill's gun, he sent it into a patch of prickly pear cactus. It took about half an hour to try and fish it out without getting any spines in their hands. Bill ended up losing that battle several times.

As they crossed the city limits into Los Angeles, Bill tapped Ralph on the shoulder to wake him. "Hey kid, you gotta put on your seatbelt. New laws make it mandatory for front seat riders to wear one," said the FBI agent.

"Come on Bill, those belts are nothing more than for show," groaned the blonde-haired man. "Besides, this new car of yours has airbags, and those will protect us in case we crash."

"Listen Ralph, I know you want to be a rebel sometimes, but you gotta do it. Carlisle will have my badge if someone's hurt in my car without a belt on," Bill said. "Besides, the green guys might have both our hides on the wall if we don't follow the rules here too."

Ralph groaned again and nodded, putting on the belt. "So, how are things at the grand world of FBI? Anything new going on that needs the suit's help? Seems lately all we, well I, do is try things in the jammies. Either that or fish."

"Things have been relatively slow at the agency lately after we caught that spy trying to set off a plague bomb, but..."

"But what? What's bugging you?"

"It's been too quiet, and that's what worries me. That's why all the practices in the suit. This guy was only part of a larger ring, but no one's been able to get him to crack as far as who the main leader is. All we know is that he's in the LA area and planning something, so we've added more security," said Bill.

"Well, the suit doesn't let me look into people's thoughts, well that we know of, or I'd known that," said Ralph. Seeing the other man give an odd look, he chuckled softly. "All right, but why don't you try to get a cup or something he uses today that I can get a holograph off."

"Right, I can do that this afternoon while you're at the school, and we can work it out once you get out of class," said Bill as he turned in to Whitney High. Ralph got out of the car and headed toward the building.

When he got inside, he went to the bathroom to change out of the suit. It was going to be a long day of classes and meetings, and he never liked having the button of the cape digging into his Adam's apple each time he sat down on the cape. Besides, Bill was getting better at not disturbing him during class, so he figured why be uncomfortable all day for a possible scenario.

Bill smiled slightly in sympathy, knowing Ralph was going to have a long day with Tony and the other kids. He turned on the signal light and left the parking lot, not knowing another person in a van was watching his every move.

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Inside the other van, a man picked up a phone. "Listen, this is Dusty, let me speak to the head honcho," he said.

"What do ya need Dusty," said the other voice as it answered on the line.

"We've been following that FBI agent who caught Sam. That partner of his is a school teacher."

"Ralph Hinkley, yes I know him. His wife is the lawyer for the city in Sam's trial," growled the other slightly.

"So, you want us to put him or Maxwell on ice?"

"No, not yet. Too many witnesses at the school and Maxwell will probably head toward the agency. Let's wait until after school's out and set up an accident," said the other man with a grim chuckle.

"Understood," said Dusty as he hung up the phone. It was only a matter of time until they put their plan into action.

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That afternoon, Bill picked up Ralph to head over to a local greasy spoon. Getting a strange feeling in his stomach, Ralph put on his seatbelt, and for some reason, checked that Bill did too. Bill naturally had his on, not wanting to face Carlisle.

"So, how was your day in the neighborhood of make-believe," said Bill with a slight smirk on his face.

"For your information, Bill, everything went well," said the blonde-haired man with a smile. "We're studying World War II. The kids were getting into the lesson, and it was great."

"Yeah, and I bet Villicona kept thinking Pearl Harbor is a place to get jewelry from," said Bill.

Ralph gave the man a funny look but didn't respond. Instead, he changed the subject. "So, did you get something I could get a holograph off?"

"Yeah I did, it's in the..." Bill stopped when he glanced into the rearview mirror. "Ralph, don't turn around, but I think a van's following us."

"Yeah, I can see it in the mirror," said Ralph with a frown. "Do you think you can shake them?"

"Should be able to," said Bill, "There are a few roads that..."

Just then, the black van that was following sped to the driver's side of Bill's car and proceeded to sideswipe it. As it made impact, Ralph and Bill were thrown around, their seatbelts keeping them from being thrown into the windows. Bill tried his best to keep the car in control, but ultimately the car fishtailed and crashed sideways into a telephone pole. The van continued on its course as though nothing happened.

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As the van drove down the road, Dusty smiled as he saw the sedan crash into a telephone pole. 'No one could escape that unscathed,' he thought with a smirk.

Dusty reached for the phone and called the leader. "What do you want Dusty," said the other man.

"Mission accomplished," said Dusty. "Maxwell and his partner just were in a car crash, and a pretty brutal one too. Looks like the right hand side was severely damaged, it'll definitely put at least one out of commission."

"Good. Now, for my next step, to see if I can get rid of Sam," said the other voice. "A colleague inside called and said he was getting to the point of confessing everything when he's questioned again. He's betrayed me just like the city did, so he's going to pay the price. What happens afterward, well, let's just say I always get what I want."

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Bill shook his head as he sat up and the airbag deflated. He was a bit dazed and bruised, but despite a cut on his head from where his aviators were between him and the airbag, was all right. "What the hell was that guy doing," said Bill, "Ralph did you see..."

He turned to check on Ralph, and found him slumped over in the chair, barely moving. "Ralph, you OK," said Bill as he leaned Ralph back in the seat and shook his shoulder. It was then he realized that Ralph was not wearing the jammies.

The younger man opened his eyes slightly and grimaced. "Hurts..." he said softly. "Shoulder...think ribs too...mrmph..."

Bill glanced around and saw that Ralph's right shoulder was dislocated. He reached around as best as he could to check Ralph's ribs. When he gently touched the other man's side, Ralph cried out in pain, causing him to frown.

"Ooh, kid, we gotta get you to a hospital...Ralph..." Bill was worried when he didn't get a response. "Ralph come on stay with me..." He saw the younger man's eyes roll into his head and close, losing his battle to stay conscious.

Bill checked Ralph's pulse as a crowd of witnesses gathered. "Ralph? Will one of you gawkers get an ambulance? We need to get to the hospital now!"


	2. Chapter 2

Ralph opened his eyes and found that he was on the couch at his and Pam's house. He shook his head, trying to figure out how he got there. To his dismay, nothing came to mind. 'Great, what did I do to get into this mess,' he thought. 'Bet I got hurt in one of those scenarios Bill cooks up for the jammies. Pam'll know what happened.'

He sat up, ignoring the dull pain in his right shoulder. "Pam, you here hun? Listen, how long have I been..." he stopped when he heard voices and odd sounds come out of the bedroom, one Pam's the other...

Ralph opened the door a fraction and saw Pam on the bed with another man. She was wearing her blue satin robe and pants while the other was sitting next to her, half undressed. She had her hands on the other man's chest and they were in a rather passionate kiss. Ralph had a sickening feeling this would have gone a lot further if he didn't come to as soon as he did. He decided to slam open the door, shocking the two out of their amorous rapport.

"You stay right there mister," he growled as he pulled Pam from the bedroom into the living room. "What on earth do you think you're doing Pam," he shouted. "Here I am lying in the living room out cold from some scenario and you're in OUR bedroom with another man doing heaven only knows what."

Pam, for some strange reason didn't seem remorseful or scared. "For your information Ralph," she said sarcastically, "I've been having an affair with him for some time. I was going to serve you the divorce papers today..."

"WHAT! Pamela, you've got to be kidding, don't you realize that you are the love of my life," said Ralph, growing more shocked by the minute. "I won't accept divorce papers 'til we talk."

"Really, it seems all you do is go on missions with Bill and never spend any time with me. Derreck has done nothing but take care of me. Would have told you earlier today had you not knocked yourself out flying again. Bill brought you back home and I got tired of just sitting here so..."

"So that gives you the right to have this guy in our bedroom right now?" Ralph growled. "Get away from me traitor. I'm going to put a stop to this right now."

As he turned toward the bedroom, he saw Derreck head to the living room. "Listen pal, that's no way to treat a lady," he said. "You've never been there for her. She's just been the typical 'third-string utility backup,' both in your job and in love. Why don't you go away and let a real man take care of Pam."

"Why you..." Ralph said as he started toward the man. Derreck just smiled and hit Ralph in the jaw, causing him to fall. As Ralph fell, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs and right shoulder as they made contact with the coffee table before he hit the ground. The last thing he saw before darkness enveloped him was Derreck's face smirking at him...

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"Ralph, Ralph, come on hun wake up," said Pam's voice from a distance. She had been sitting next to Ralph's side at the hospital since the doctors allowed her into his room.

"Won't accept a divorce...get away from me traitor," said Ralph in confusion as he tried to push her hand away. Pam turned, frowning, to Bill and he shrugged, grimacing at the slight pain in his shoulder. He also had a bandage on his head, having received stitches for the cut. "Don't know Counselor. He never said you were a traitor, of any kind, to me. I don't know about the divorce talk either honey, he loves you too much."

"I know, Bill, I think it's the anesthetic talking," Pam said and looked at Ralph again, who was still mumbling in his sleep. "I saw the remains of your car. Good thing you two were wearing your seatbelts or you would've been killed," she said. "Why wasn't he wearing the jammies?"

"I don't know. We were going out to get a bite to eat and discuss a scenario," said Bill. When Pam gave him an skeptical look, he continued. "Honest Counselor, that's what we were going to do, then this happened. I didn't even know until I shook his shoulder."

Bill stopped when he saw Ralph try to open his eyes. He figured after Ralph's reaction to Pam it was best for him to try to bring the younger man around. "Kid, listen this is Bill. Time to rise and shine and show those blue eyes of yours."

Ralph slowly opened his eyes and looked at both Pam and Bill. He tried to say something, but only managed a groan and a cough when his ribs protested the movement. Bill got him a glass of water and after sipping it, Ralph finally found his voice. "What's going on," said the blonde-haired man simply.

Bill chuckled slightly, seeing Ralph wasn't quite with them yet. "You were in an accident. Listen, doctors said you'll be fine in a couple a weeks..."

Ralph could only manage a pained smile, which faded when he turned to look at Pam. "Why were you with Derreck," he said, frowning. "I thought you loved me."

"Derreck," said Pam, confused. "Ralph, I don't know anyone named Derreck."

"No, I woke up at home from some sort of accident caused by the suit," Ralph said, shaking his head as though to clear it. "I heard noises come out of the bedroom and saw the two of you together. It wasn't just talking as friends either. He and I got into a fight and he punched me. I fell into the coffee table ... that's gotta be why I'm here."

Bill realizing what was going on, decided that it was best to straighten the man out. "No, it isn't, Ralph. Listen kid, you and me were in a car wreck, remember? You weren't wearing the suit, and were injured."

The day's true events came rushing back to Ralph and he groaned, rubbing his head with his left hand. He then noticed the sling on his right arm.

Pam noticed the questioning look in Ralph's eyes and continued. "Ralph, you were brought to the hospital four hours ago with a dislocated shoulder and three fractured ribs. The doctors had to put you under to set your shoulder."

"Yeah, and the Counselor and me have been here all the time," Bill finished.

Ralph slowly put the information the two gave him together. "So, this dream about some Derreck guy must be from the anesthesia they gave me," he said with a slightly embarrassed smile. The other two nodded, and Ralph sighed. "So, did I say anything else out of the ordinary besides mentioning this Derreck fellow? Nothing that could put me into the psych ward?"

"No, nothing about the suit," said Pam, catching the gist of Ralph's comment, "but..."

"But what? Come on Pam, you might as well tell me."

"Hun, you called me a traitor. Whatever this Derreck must have done in your dream must be pretty bad for you to call me that."

"Yeah, it was odd, it seemed so real," said Ralph remembering everything in his dream. He decided to change the subject for now. "So, do we know who did this? Or, more importantly, when I can go home?"

"Not exactly kid," said Bill. "I do know it was a black van, but that doesn't narrow it down much."

"As far as the hospital, you're stuck here for a couple of days," said Pam sympathetically, knowing how much Ralph hated hospitals. "They want to be sure there's no complications from your ribs first."

Ralph nodded and tried to hide his yawn. Bill noticed he did it terribly. "Listen kid, I'm sure the drugs are kicking in again, so why don't you relax and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Ralph nodded and closed his eyes. Bill nodded to Pam and walked out the door to head toward the agency. He had a sinking idea of what exactly happened but didn't want to get Ralph or Pam involved until he was sure so they weren't put in more danger.

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At the agency, Bill was surprised to see Carlisle standing next to his desk with a worried expression on his face. Normally, he was rather cynical toward Bill if his car was wrecked. "Maxwell, what are you doing here," he said. "I saw your car and it's...well as you say toast."

"Yeah," Bill said simply. "I was taking a friend home and he's right now in the hospital. Listen, can you get me the file on Sam Alexandrite? I think someone deliberately sideswiped us and the perps were his colleagues."

Carlisle's expression changed from worried to serious. "No, I can't since it involves someone you know," he said. "And if you try to take it on, I'll have your badge."

"You don't understand," said Bill, his voice rising. "These guys hurt one of my friends. If it weren't for the new seatbelt law, he'd be on a slab in the morgue. I want that file."

The younger man kept his voice level, but firm, knowing Maxwell was probably under a lot of stress. "I'm sorry Maxwell, no, and as of right now, you're on medical leave for two days."

"Two..."

"Argue and it'll be two weeks," Carlisle said. "I won't ask for your badge or gun, but you even talk to me one more time, I'll take them as well. You need to go home and rest, you're still in shock from the wreck. We'll run through the files and see if we can find anything."

Bill took the brunt of Carlisle's lecture and nodded, knowing that while Carlisle was a bit sympathetic in this case, he also didn't want Bill to butt in. He turned and went outside to find he had another sedan waiting for him. Bill got in, sighed and headed toward his apartment to rest.

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Over at a nearby phone, Dusty picked up the payphone and punched in a number. "Listen, just saw Maxwell leave the agency. Judging from the look on his face, he's been put on medical leave."

"Good. That's another step out of the way." the other man said.

"So, what do you want us to do, boss?"

"Nothing. Our colleague will make sure that Sam doesn't make it to the interrogation the day after tomorrow. Then, I can continue on my quest to avenge my sister's death." the man said and hung up the receiver. 'Now,' he thought, 'all I need to do is wait until they let down their guard.'


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, Pam and Ralph entered the Hinkley home. Pam helped Ralph sit down on the couch careful not to jostle his injured shoulder. The blonde-haired man hissed slightly in pain but tried not to show it on his face. "I'm sorry hun," said Pam. "I'll get you an extra pillow for your back."

"Thanks Pam," said Ralph. "Like the flowers. You get them?"

"No, but I read the card, and they're from your class sending their best. I think it's rather sweet," said Pam.

"Yeah it is, but I think I need to give them a lesson in horticulture. You don't give someone calla lilies as a get well soon arrangement," Ralph chuckled.

Pam gave him a slight odd look but after figuring out the correlation, started laughing. "I see your point. Listen, I brought you something."

"Oh yeah, what," said Ralph, thinking it'd be Pam's clam chowder, one of his favorite foods. He was so sick of hospital food that he didn't even want to be anywhere near chicken soup and Jell-O. Instead, it was something soft, red, black and grey.

"The jammies," groaned Ralph. "Pam, I can't go flying anytime soon with my shoulder in a sling, not to mention the ribs."

"I know hun, but the suit might help knit your bones together. After all, for all we know the green guys might have put first aid capabilities in it, and that might include healing bones and joints. At least put on the top."

Ralph just sat there and stared at the suit. "You know, if I had them on to begin with, I wouldn't be in this mess, but you're right. OK, but give me a hand here."

Pam put the jammies next the couch and sat next to him. She gently lifted the sling from around Ralph's neck and helped unbutton his shirt. Ralph gingerly shrugged out of the shirt and placed it to the side.

As Pam helped him put the tunic on, Ralph noticed a slight change in the suit, but couldn't quite place it. After he slipped it over his head, Pam helped put the sling back on. They sat and waited, hoping the suit would give Ralph a healing hand of its own.

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Bill entered his office for the first time in two days with a look of determination. He wanted to start work on the Alexandrite case so he could catch the guys who put Ralph in the hospital. There was some reason why they targeted the two of them, and he wanted to know why.

As he was getting a cup of coffee, Carlisle entered his office. "Maxwell, good to have you back," he said with a slight smirk on his face. "You seem to be in top health today."

"Fit as a fiddle. You're in a good mood today sir," Bill said smiling. "What's going on?"

"I'm going on vacation tomorrow, Billy boy, and you're going to work on this case," he said handing Bill a file.

Bill read the contents and his smile faded. "A case on a missing purebreed dog? Come on Carlisle, I want to work on the Alexandrite case."

"Sorry, Billy, but you are going to do this one. The Alexandrite case was assigned yesterday while you were gone," said Carlisle, his smirk broadening into a grin. "You get this one, and I'm sure someone with your excellent record will be able to figure out the case in a day. Have fun."

Bill scowled behind Carlisle's retreating form, and disobeying orders, picked up his phone and dialed the number to the prison. "Hello, this is Bill Maxwell, FBI, listen I wanted to get an update on one of your prisoners, a Sam Alexandrite. I'm helping with the investigation and ... I see. When did this happen ... All right, I'll notify my colleagues on the situation. Goodbye."

The FBI agent placed the phone back in its cradle and rubbed his eyes. 'How could this happen,' he thought. 'Those guards were supposed to protect Alexandrite from the others. Now, I find out our one lead on who the leader of the ring is and who caused the car wreck was killed in prison. I wonder if the kid can help?'

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As Pam and Ralph sat in the living room, Ralph noticed a drop in the room temperature and shivered. "Pam, did you turn on the air conditioner?"

"No hun, but Bill might've" she said standing up to go check the AC. "Is the suit doing anything?"

Ralph shook his head. "I don't know, but something feels real weird, it's almost like winter in here," he said as he got up to help. He took about three steps before he suddenly felt real lightheaded and the room began to grow dark.

Pam, noticing Ralph pale and start to crumple, ran back over and helped him sit on the floor. "Lie down Ralph, I'll get a box," she said. Once Ralph was lying down, Pam picked up his feet and placed them on the box. She then covered him with a blanket. "How are you feeling Ralph?"

"It's still freezing, Pam," he said, teeth chattering, His lips were also starting to turn blue, concerning Pam. "My shoulder and ribs are starting to throb from it, and the room is still spinning."

"But you've got a down blanket on you," said Pam thinking, "unless..." She helped Ralph take off the tunic and replaced the sling. Ralph noticed that almost as quickly as it started, the room warmed up and the vertigo stopped.

Surprised, Ralph tried to sit up, only to have Pam put a hand on his good shoulder. "Ralph, don't get up," she said, "You came very close to passing out."

"Pamela, I feel fine," said Ralph. When Pam gave him a questioning look, he continued, "Seriously, I'm not cold or dizzy anymore but..."

"But what, Ralph?"

"My shoulder still hurts if I move it too much and my ribs feel like someone's playing the xylophone on them with a hammer," he said sadly. "It didn't work."

Pam noted the discouragement. "You sure hun? Maybe the cold feeling was it's way of trying to heal you."

"I don't think so," said Ralph, sitting up. "It also felt as though the painkillers I took an hour ago were triple strength. For some reason, I don't think the suit wants me to wear it right now."

Pam picked up the suit and put it in her arms. "You know, I think you might be right. When you said you felt dizzy, that might've been from the suit reacting to the painkillers. It could have doubled the effects, sorta like mixing two medicines together you shouldn't have. Why don't we try a little later after the painkiller has worn off?"

"We can try, but I still think it's telling me to stay away for a while until I can heal at least a little more," he said. "Right now, the suit might as well be yours for the time being for all it's worth."

No sooner did he say that did the jammies start to glow faintly. A moment later, Pam was wearing the suit. Though it was still in the same two-piece style as when Ralph wore it, the jammies fit her like a glove.

Pam kneeled by Ralph dumbfounded. "What's going on?" she said.

"I don't know Pam, but you're wearing the suit. Question is, will its powers work?"

"Well, why don't I do something simple, like pick up the refrigerator," she said with a bit of skepticism. She also caught herself hoping it was just the suit's form of a joke.

"No, too risky, it could fall on you," said Ralph, remembering his first, though different, experience in the jammies. "Why don't you try carrying me?"

"If your sure hun..."

Ralph nodded and put his good arm around Pam's neck. "Yeah, that way if the suit doesn't work, I can get out of the way before you get hurt."

Pam, still doubting, in turn put an arm each under Ralph's shoulders and knees and lifted. Ralph felt light as feather in her arms as she carried him to the couch. As she placed him gently on the couch, the two looked at each other. "Oh no," they said simultaneously.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that evening, Bill went over to the Hinkley home. He had solved the case Carlisle gave him, much to the man's chagrin when the dog decided thank him by biting him in the leg.

As he approached the door, he made sure he had the bag containing Alexandrite's personal effects. After getting the report about Alexandrite's death, Carlisle declared the case a cold case. After bantering with Carlisle about it again, Bill was reluctantly given the case.

Bill knocked on the door hoping Ralph felt well enough to put the jammies on and get a holograph. "Come in Bill," Ralph shouted from inside, then coughed. The FBI agent barged in and saw the flowers. "Nice flowers kid, bet they're from the class," he said with a slight smirk.

Ralph nodded and chuckled. "Yep, nice gesture, but wrong flowers," he said. "Bill I'm glad you came, I need to talk to you..."

"Where's the Counselor," Bill interrupted. "She needs to hear this too since she's a part of the case."

"She should be here in a second," Ralph said a bit hesitantly. He had an argument with Pam on how to fly and didn't want to restart it again before telling Bill what happened.

"What's wrong Ralph," said Bill. "You're not afraid this Derreck guy's real do you?"

"No, though I'm still getting the dream," said the younger man. "But that's not it..."

Just then Pam came in. She was wearing a longwaisted and sleeved gray shirt over a pair of red leggings. Ralph noticed she was wearing leg warmers too.

"Ralph, you were right about the...oh, hi Bill," she said realizing the agent was there. She looked at Ralph and realized Bill didn't know what happened yet.

"Counselor, glad you could join us," said Bill, "I need to talk to both of you."

Pam sat down next to Ralph. "OK, Bill, we're all here. What's going on?"

"Well Counselor, I don't know if the law firm's been informed yet, but Alexandrite's dead. He was killed by another prisoner."

"What," said Ralph. "I thought the guards had him in special protection."

"They did kid, but while they were walking Alexandrite to the interrogation room, some creep walking down the hallway at the same time managed to stab him in the back with a knife," said Bill. "I was able to get some of Alexandrite's personal effects though, and I need you to see if you can get any vibes off them."

Ralph choked back a cough and said, "Uh, Bill I need to talk to you about the suit..."

"Come on kid, surely you can at least wear the top just to get a holograph. It's not like I'm asking you to fly with a busted shoulder and ribs."

"I know Bill and I appreciate that, but I tried wearing the suit today and it had a bad side effect."

"What, did it make you glow blue," said Bill. "That's only better. Last time that happened you could do a mind push. We could make the guy..."

"Bill," interrupted Pam. "Ralph put on part of the suit, and for some reason it acted funny. He started feeling as though he was freezing and when he stood up, he nearly passed out. Once the suit was off, he felt fine despite his shoulder and ribs hurting."

"Thing is, we don't know if it didn't want me to wear it or was trying to help heal me and just made it feel as though the painkiller's side effects doubled."

"Oh..." said Bill, nodding. "Well, we'll wait a little bit for you to come down from the meds and we can try again."

"Um, Bill that's going to be a slight problem right now," said Ralph, looking at Pam. "After we took off the suit, I made a comment to Pam about how the suit seemed to not be working on me. I said for right now, it could be hers for all it's worth and well, she's wearing the suit."

Bill started laughing. "Come on kid, you've gotta be kidding me. The Counselor? The suit only works on you, wouldn't even fit her."

Pam just rolled her eyes and stood, removing the gray shirt to reveal the tunic of the suit. She then put the cape around her neck.

Bill blinked in astonishment, but still didn't believe his eyes. "So the suit fits on her, big deal. It did that biker that one time, and he busted his arm trying to fly."

"I wasn't sure myself partner, but to test it, she picked me up in her arms and carried me to the couch with no problem."

Bill wasn't sure if Ralph was telling the truth or was the victim of another drug influenced dream, so he played along. "All right kid, if you really think it works on her, Counselor, here's some of Alexandrite's effects. See if you can get a holograph off them."

"Sure Bill, I'll try," said Pam, grousing a bit at the "request" as she tipped the contents of the bag into her hand. After a moment, a wavy image appeared before her. A prisoner was headed toward a pay phone and started dialing a number. "Ralph, I'm not sure, but I think I'm getting something. It's a wavy image with someone in it."

"Might be, here let me see," said Ralph as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, honey you are. Bill you need to see this."

Bill rolled his eyes and kneeled next to the two. Pam put a hand on his shoulder, and Bill gasped as he too saw the image. "Counselor, that's a holograph."

"Now do you believe us," said Pam cynically. "Shhh...let's listen in."

_"Listen, I did what you wanted me to, now where's my reward?" _said the prisoner.

_"Don't worry, Jesse, I'll find a way to get you out of prison," _said the other man on the line_. "Now, until then, keep everything I've told you a secret. If they try to make you say anything, you know what to do..." _

_"Right, understood," _said Jesse as he hung up. The image faded.

"Counselor, is there any way you can talk to the guy," said Bill.

"I don't know Bill, but I should be able to," said Pam. "I'll talk to the firm tomorrow and see if I can get a plea bargain set up."

Bill was disappointed to hear 'don't know' come before 'should' but pressed on. "All right, tomorrow. Now, we have a different scenario to work out, especially with the Counselor wearing the jammies and being the rookie. Let's see..."

"Wait a second here Bill, I have an idea on what I'm doing..."

"You say that about cooking roast beef too, but you still gotta do as I say..."

"Just because I'm wearing the suit instead of Ralph doesn't mean you can ord..."

Ralph whistled and put his hand up. "OK, let's not start this off on the wrong foot. Bill, I've told Pam how the suit powers work. She's had some trials and errors, but, right now it's the two of you and I'm the third string backup."

The other two looked at Ralph then each other, nodding begrudgingly. Ralph kept back a smile. "Now, since it's late, I think we ought to go to bed and see what we can do about this tomorrow," he said.

"Right, well, have a good night kid, Counselor. Don't stay up too late," said Bill as he went out the door.

Pam closed it and turned to Ralph. "I don't know hun. You know how Bill and I argue about everything. This could become some crazy scenario."

"Pamela, it's been a crazy scenario for me ever since the green guys gave me the jammies, but you get used to it," said Ralph.

"What if this is permanent," Pam said. "What if the suit now wants me to wear it?"

"I don't know. Listen, let's go to bed and we can talk about it in the morning. If nothing else, you'll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to deal with Bill's drivel."


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Pam entered the law firm and went to her secretary, William. "Pam, there's was a call for you earlier," he said. "I left the message on your desk."

"Thank you William," she said as she entered her office and looked through the stack of messages. Finding the one with a phone number, she picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Hello, this is Pam Hinkley, I received a message to call you."

"Mrs. Hinkley, this is Derreck Onyx. I'm an informant and was helping you with the state's case on Sam Alexandrite, and now his killer. Walking through town today I found out more information on why he was killed in prison."

"Mr. Onyx ... yes, here it is on the case files for the trial of his killer. Sure, we can discuss the case, when can you be over to the office?"

"Actually, I was wondering if we could discuss it over lunch," Onyx said. "I won't be able to meet you until then."

Pam was a bit reluctant, as she promised to take Ralph to lunch, but realized this was important. "All right, I'll meet you at 12:10 p.m.," she said and clicked the receiver. She then dialed another number and listened to the phone ring. "Hi, Ralph," she said.

"Pam? Oh hi hun," said Ralph tiredly, yawning only to then groan from the pain in his ribs. "Sorry, how are you doing?"

"Fine, I'm sorry to wake you up again, but I needed to talk to you."

"Well, it's been the best sleep I've had in a couple of days, but I needed to get up anyway. What's up?"

"Hun, I have to cancel lunch today. I'm meeting with an informant on my case, and it's pretty important."

Ralph sighed, but knew that Pam would only cancel if it was important. "All right, I'll see if I can get Bill to join me then later on, we can go out."

"Thanks hun, talk to you later. Love you," said Pam.

"Love you to, 'bye."

Pam hung up the phone and sat down, tugging at the collar of the jammies and cape as they inadvertently dug into her neck. She didn't want to really wear them to work, but Ralph insisted, noting the guy who caused the wreck hadn't been caught yet and could strike again.

Still, she had to admit it was uncomfortable to wear the suit under regular clothes. 'No wonder Ralph doesn't like turtlenecks now,' she mused as she picked up a file. As she looked down to read it, Pam was surprised to see the files float in mid air. "Oh no, not now," said Pam as she realized the suit turned her invisible. To her horror, she saw William walk into her office.

"Pam, here's some paperwork you need to fill..." he looked around to an empty office and desk. "Pam?"

Just then, like it did with Ralph, the suit popped Pam back visible at the worst moment. William stood there staring for a couple of moments before he blinked once and slumped to the ground, out cold.

"Great," said Pam almost to herself as she headed over to the prostrate man. She covered him with her coat and checked his pulse. Another of Pam's colleagues peeked around the doorframe with a curious look on her face. "Beth, could you get a wet towel and a glass of water for me?"

Beth nodded and went to retrieve the items. Shortly after she left, William opened his eyes. "William, can you hear me," asked Pam calmly, though wildly trying to think of an explanation for what happened so he didn't ask too many questions. She wondered how Ralph could do this all the time, as it wasn't easy to find even one.

"Yeah Pam, what am I doing on the floor? Wait, I could have sworn you weren't in the room, then you were at your desk just like that," he said, sitting up and snapping his fingers.

"No, I've been in my office since I got here this morning," said Pam as Beth handed her the towel and glass of water for William. "You were talking to me about some papers I had to fill out when you suddenly paled and fainted."

"Oh," he said after drinking some of the water. "Must not have eaten enough for breakfast today. Can I have a little longer lunch break this afternoon? I don't want people to think I'm falling down on my job."

Pam smiled. "Sure, you can have a little longer lunch, but remember you're still off the clock then."

The man groaned but nodded and headed back to his desk. Pam sighed when she realized that wearing the suit might cause her as many problems as it did Ralph. She hoped that the suit decided to not do this while talking with Onyx about the case.

-----------------------------------------------------

Ralph was sitting in the living room watching television when Bill came in. "Ralph, how ya feeling kid," he asked.

"Better, but the ribs are still a bit sore. And, the doctor said I should be able to take the sling off by the end of next week. Was a bit surprised by it, but my family's known for slightly faster recoveries."

"That's great kid, next thing you know you'll be able to wear the jammies again," he said smiling. His smile faded when he saw Ralph looking glum. "What's wrong kid, you look like someone who's goldfish died."

"Bill, I don't know if I'll be wearing the suit again," said the blonde-haired man. "I mean, how do we know the green guys didn't decide to give it to her permanently?"

"Kid, you've done nothing but good things since wearing the jammies, busting bad guys, stopping World War III, saving a kid from hypothermia, so on and so on. What I'm telling ya kid is that you haven't done anything like use it for greed or revenge, so you should get it back."

"As much as I hate them, I hope so because I can help so many people with them," Ralph said. "Anyway, how about going to lunch, my treat."

"I thought you were going to eat lunch with the Counselor," said Bill, puzzled.

"Pam had to cancel because she was meeting with an informant on the Alexandrite and now his killer's case. Look, I have two reservations to an Italian restaurant, and I don't want them to go to waste."

"Well, all right, so long as they have something with no tomatoes," said Bill, cringing at that thought of them.

Ralph shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, I know of a few things. Come on, the reservation's set for 12:20, so let's head on over. You drive, well, guess you knew that." The two chuckled at the comment and headed over to the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

"Mrs. Hinkley, a Mr. Onyx is waiting for you," said the maitre'd at the restaurant. "Right this way."

"Thank you," said Pam as she headed over to the table. Onyx stood up and shook her hand. "Mrs. Hinkley, a pleasure to meet you. Let's have a seat and discuss what's been going on."

Pam sat down and after glancing over the menu, decided to start. "Well, as you know Alexandrite was killed in prison, and while they have the killer in solitary confinement, we don't know why he did it."

Onyx nodded his head. "I think I know. From what I heard, there were rumors that he was going to tell people who the lead man was in the plague attempt. This other man was probably given an offer to off Alexandrite before he confessed in exchange for his freedom."

"We thought about that, and the judge has ordered that he has no bail or bond now," said Pam. "But it still doesn't answer why Alexandrite was going to confess to begin with. People had been trying to get him to say something to give them a lead with no luck, so why then?"

"He was rumored to be a bit shifty to begin with. Seemed to keep a lot of secrets, if nothing else to get more pay. Did that once on a different scheme he was a part of...Anyway, I'm not too surprised he was offed," he said simply.

Pam was a bit surprised about Onyx's apparent blasé attitude about a man being killed, but continued. "So, do you think we can get any information out of this other guy."

"Probably some. The guy I talked to said he knew some of the men in the ring, but not the leader. You might talk with the FBI about it."

The waiter came by and took Pam and Onyx's orders. Onyx decided to change the subject. "Mrs. Hinkley, I was going to ask you...only because I read in the papers about that car accident, how's your husband?"

"Pam, please. He's fine, just sore from his injuries," she said. "Doctors said he should be 100 percent in a few weeks. Good thing he had his seatbelt on or he could've been killed. Why the interest?"

"No reason, just wanted to make some idle chat while we waited for our meals. Now, tell me a little bit about why you became a lawyer," he said, smiling.

"Well, a few years ago..."

--------------------------------------------

Bill and Ralph arrived at the restaurant and sat at the table Ralph reserved. As they picked up menus, Ralph grimaced in pain again. Bill didn't miss the expression. "Ralph, you feel all right? Been taking your medicine?"

"Yeah, fine Bill, just a little stiff," said Ralph. "I've been easing off the big painkillers as much as I can so I don't get addicted. Haven't taken one today."

"Good plan, but it gives me the heebie-jeebies every time you give that expression, especially after what happened."

Ralph nodded in sympathy, realizing he must have been in bad shape at the scene of the wreck. "So, has the agency got Alexandrite's killer to talk?"

"No not yet, but should be soon. I heard that Pam's law firm was going to get her into the interrogation room. I wish I could make him talk, especially after everything. I mean, you should've had the suit on..."

"Tell me about it," said the younger man, glancing around the restaurant, "Each time I yawn, I realize that I should have kept it on all day, but I didn't. Anyway, the wreck shouldn't have happened in the first place, and I hope they get the ringleader so I can...put your menu up to your face."

Bill complied to Ralph's request, but wondered what Ralph was thinking. "You sure you didn't take any pain meds Ralph? I mean, this menu bit only works in the world of Maxwell Smart, not Bill Maxwell."

"Shhhh...I see Pam and she's talking to the informant. I don't want her to think I'm..." said Ralph sneaking a peek above the menu. The color drained from his face as he took a closer look at the man Pam was talking to. He barely felt someone put a hand on his good shoulder and shake it a bit roughly. After a couple of moments, Ralph broke out of his trance and looked into Bill's worried eyes. "You with me kid? I thought you were going to go out on me."

"Yeah, I'm here," he said, recovering. "Bill, you see that person talking with Pam?"

"Come on Ralph, don't tell me you're jealous..." He was surprised that Ralph didn't respond. "It's not that is it? Ralph, something's bugging you, what is it?"

"Bill, that's the guy I saw in my dream. That's Derreck."


	7. Chapter 7

Pam and Onyx finished eating lunch, and after shaking hands, parted ways. She turned to head toward the exit, only to see Ralph and Bill sitting at a table eating their meals. Pam got a chuckle seeing Ralph try to reel in the angel hair pasta with his left hand, which he normally didn't eat with. He was at times getting more on the plate than in his mouth. 'I told him to get the lasagna when we were going here,' she thought, chucking.

Pam saw the two wave to her and she headed over. "Hey Ralph, Bill, I thought he was going to take me to a different restaurant, or I would've just kept our reservations and talked to him in the lounge."

"That's fine, Counselor, I was glad to join Ralph. But I think you need to sit down, before a waiter drops his tray on you," said Bill as he took a bite of his fettuccini alfredo.

Pam sat down and decided to tell Ralph about her day. "Ralph, you were right about the suit showing its powers at inopportune times. It turned me invisible earlier before William walked into my office. It then decided to pop me back visible with him there. Had to make up an excuse as to why he fainted on the job. I hope this suit bit's not permanent, I mean if this happened when I was talking to a senior attorney I don't know what'd I say..."

Ralph chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's happened to me once, but fortunately the guy was drunk enough that no one believed him. And, you just make the best excuse you can and hope for the best. But, I really got to talk with you about something."

"Sure hun, I've got a few minutes."

"Pam, that guy you were talking to, what's his name," asked Ralph.

"Derreck Onyx, why," she said, only to see Ralph lean over and put his forehead into his hand. "Ralph, you feeling OK? What's wrong."

Ralph nodded slightly and took a drink of water, but Bill continued. "Counselor, Ralph believes the person you were talking to is the same person who he saw in his dream."

Pam chuckled slightly, but stopped when she saw the look in Ralph's eyes. "You're not kidding are you?"

Ralph shook his head. "No, I'm not. He's the spitting image of the guy in my dream. His face was the last thing I saw in it before I came round. I know the mind can play tricks on you, especially under some sort of drug, but I don't think it would like this."

"All right, I believe you, but what do you want me to do? I have to help with this case," said Pam.

"Counselor, I think the best thing to do is to be careful and keep an eye on him."

Ralph nodded. "I agree. Pam, I didn't want to tell you everything I saw in that dream, but I do remember that I woke up in the living room and the two of you were in the bedroom in the middle of a, well, romantic start. I stopped you from going further, but it only went downhill from there. You have to be careful with this guy."

Pam looked at both men and realized they were serious. "Sure, hun, I will and to be on the safe side, I'll keep the suit on. But right now, I've got to go back to the office, so I'll see you later." She gave Ralph a kiss goodbye and left.

Ralph turned to Bill and frowned. "Bill, I normally don't say this but..."

Though inside he had his doubts about Ralph's dream, Bill decided to allay the kid's fears. "Kid, I'll be over at the Counselor's office later this afternoon to talk about the case and take her home. I wanted to see if she gets me into the interrogation room. Now, why don't we finish eating and take you back to your place." Ralph nodded and they finished eating their meals.

--------------------------------------------

As he drove down the road, Onyx smiled. It had been too easy to tell Pam the story about Alexandrite. He lied about the plan though, as Alexandrite was not only to set off the plague bomb in LA, but a series of several scattered throughout the area. With the push of one button, all the bombs would have triggered, scattering the virus throughout most of the state. Alexandrite was going to tell them the location to all of them as well as that Onyx was behind it, so he had Alexandrite killed. Though he had to wait while there was heavy security around, there was no way anyone was going to stop him from ultimately making the city pay for their disgressions.

He also started to think about Ralph, who he saw in the restaurant along with Maxwell. Onyx frowned, remembering the expression on Ralph's face when he saw Onyx. "He knows something," he said to himself. "I'll get the others to kidnap him so I can figure out how he knew who I was. Then, when he tells me, I'll make sure he suffers more than a few cracked ribs."

------------------------------------------

Bill knocked on the door to Pam's office and entered. "Counselor, have you had a chance to talk to the other guy?"

"No, not yet," said Pam. "Why, you want to be a part of the discussion."

"Well...yeah, since I want to get my hands on the leader. Whoever it was that caused the wreck wasn't fooling around. The sideswipe was too deep to be accidental."

"I know, I got the report," said Pam. "Something else, too. The more I thought about what Ralph said about Derreck, the more I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't just a dream."

"Come on, Counselor, it has to be. I'm not even 100 percent sure Ralph is right. I mean, he had the dream while he was still out from the drugs they gave him to set his shoulder. Probably also dreamt about getting a pearl ring from Pearl Harbor."

Pam cocked an eyebrow at the Pearl Harbor comment, but didn't ask. "Maybe, but he might be telling the truth. He's had this weird trait of predicting something's wrong even without the suit's help."

Bill shook a bit at the thought and handed Pam a file. "I did some deeper research on the Alexandrite case. Did you know that when Alexandrite was caught, they found more than the vial of plague? They also found a detonator."

"Bill, that's not too out of the ordinary," said Pam. "He probably was going to set up a triggering device so he could get away from the city and not become infected."

"True, but in my research I found there's more to it than meets the eye. The device was designed to set off several. When he was caught, the amount of security went up in the area and we haven't had a threat since. But, for some reason Alexandrite had a change of heart and wanted to confess. I think that the leader knew that and had Alexandrite killed to keep him from squealing on the whole plan."

"Well, we can try to get the guy to confess when I talk to him in about an hour and a half," said Pam. "Right now, I need to talk with an associate on the new case. You can sit down and wait."

Pam dialed the phone and Bill sat down, wondering if Ralph's dream was real or not. The scenario was getting stranger by the minute, and it might take all three of them to figure it out.


	8. Chapter 8

Ralph was sitting on the couch at home resting and thinking. When he saw Onyx in the restaurant looking at Pam, it almost seemed as though he was trying to hit on her. 'No, that's the jealousy talking,' dismissed Ralph. 'But the guy did appear to be hiding something. I hope Pam's being careful."

As he thought, he heard a knock on the door. Ralph got up and opened it to find two men there. "Hi, can I help you," asked Ralph.

"Yes, you can," said the tallest of the two. "You can come with us."

He leaned forward and tried to grab Ralph, but the blonde-haired man was a little faster and stepped away, picking up an item from the desk as defense.

The other man came in and also looked at Ralph, almost laughing at the sight of a man with an obvious injury trying to defend himself. "Come on Hinkley, we know you're hurt and can't fight..." his words were cut off when he received a slightly weak left cross, but with the added punch of a glass paperweight.

"Really? Well, appearances can be deceiving," Ralph said and continued swinging his left arm with the paperweight threateningly. He cringed a bit as he accidentally swung his left arm around his waist and it hit his ribs, but he knew the longer he kept them at bay, the more time Pam would have to get there. The men seemed to be biding their time though, casually stepping away from the swings, waiting for Ralph to tire.

After a couple of minutes, Ralph drew his arm back only to have the tallest of the two grab it from behind and wrest the paperweight from his hand. He then wrapped his arms around Ralph, who tried to shake the man off but couldn't break free.

The other man proceeded to take a handkerchief and a bottle out of his pocket. When the man opened it and poured some of the contents on the handkerchief, Ralph caught the faint odor of chloroform.

'Damn,' he thought and started struggling harder. The taller man only squeezed his arms tighter around Ralph, causing him to cry out in pain as he felt his ribs crack slightly. The man with the handkerchief then placed the drugged rag firmly over Ralph's nose and mouth.

Ralph fought the chloroform's effects as long as he could before he heard a roaring sound in his ears and felt his body start to relax. His last thought before losing consciousness was he hoped Pam got a holograph and was on her way to save him...

---------------------------------------

At the law office, Bill and Pam were perusing the case files when Pam suddenly said, "Bill, I'm getting a holograph."

"You must be getting something from the files," said Bill, "that's great, we won't need..."

"No, it's home...oh no Ralph," said Pam. "Bill, there are two guys there. One's holding Ralph, and he can't break free. They're trying to kidnap him."

Bill put a hand on her shoulder in time to see one of the men holding Ralph and another put a folded handkerchief over his face. He watched in horror as he saw Ralph struggle then sag, unconscious. The kidnapper looked into Ralph's eyes and helped pick him up to carry him when the holograph faded. "Counselor, you need to get out there and stop them."

"Right," said Pam as she started to strip down to the jammies. Bill stopped her. "Uh Counselor, what if someone sees you here?"

"The door behind me is a private bathroom with a window. I'll fly out that way," said Pam, annoyed. Bill didn't miss the note that it wasn't time to argue.

"All right, just be careful. And, remember to protect your head," said Bill. "I'll meet you there."

Pam nodded then opened the bathroom door and window, stepping back a few steps. Three steps and a jump through the window later, she was flying.

As Pam was flying, she searched for the black van from the air. A few minutes later, she found them traveling down a road. Pam followed them, trying to find a way to stop the van. She was nearly at the edge of the roof to try and drag it to a stop when a bulldozer came out from a side road and scooped up Pam.

The driver of the bulldozer stopped when he saw a flash of red cross his path and heard a slight thud. He stopped the machine and was shocked to see a woman dressed in a red superhero costume climb out of the scoop.

Pam saw his reaction and smiled sheepishly. "Hi, I'm filming a scene in a new movie. Be sure to catch 'Starruby' coming to theaters this August. 'Bye," she said as she ran off. The driver just scratched his head and decided it was best to continue with his job.

Looking around, Pam knew she lost the van's location. The brunette attorney turned into an alley and again took flight, this time heading toward the Hinkley home. She knew Bill would be there and they needed to regroup to figure out how to get Ralph back before it was too late.

-------------------------------------------

"Counselor, I can't believe you let them get away," said Bill as he took a bite of a dog biscuit. Pam had just filled him in on everything that happened after she left the law firm.

"It's not my fault the bulldozer came out from the side," snapped Pam. "I'm worried about Ralph, Bill. Who knows what these guys want with him."

Bill knew she tried her best and softened his tone. "I know honey, I'm worried too. Have you been able to get a holograph off anything here that might help us find Ralph?"

"Not yet," she said walking around the living room. "I found the paperweight he used to fight off his kidnappers, but got nothing."

"Yeah, Ralph said that he seemed to not be able to get holographs off someone if they were out cold, and he was drugged, so that must be why. At least we know he's alive, or you would've gotten a holograph."

Pam nodded grimly, remembering some of Ralph's comments about the subject. "Yeah, but now it's just why did they kidnap him?"

"Don't know, but I bet it might have something to do with that dream of his," said Bill. "I'm going to make a couple of calls and see what I can find out on Derreck Onyx. Listen, we need to get back to the jail and question Alexandrite's killer. With a little persuasion, maybe he'll spill the beans."

She took the hint and nodded, and the two of them headed toward the prison.

----------------------------------------

"Listen, I know my rights mister. No way am I talking to you," said Jesse as he paced around the room.

Bill turned to Pam and sighed. It had been difficult to get the guy to say anything of value from the start. "Look, buster, you should just tell us who he is because you're going to stay in jail for the rest of your life for killing Alexandrite. This guy is hot, and what makes you think he'll get you out?"

Pam decided to play the lawyer bit for now. "He's right. I talked to the judge and he said that there will be no bail. And with as many guards seeing what happened, you're not going to win the case. If you help us, we're willing to offer a plea bargain, since you were under orders to do this or risk dying yourself."

The hardness in Jesse's eyes softened a bit, but his tone was still gruff. "Look, if I squeal, what's there to protect me from the same fate as Sam? I want to go to a different prison as well."

Bill and Pam put their heads together as though conferring about the request, but Bill had another idea. "Pam, this is getting no where. Try to use telekinesis to move stuff around and confuse him. Ralph has to think of white paper to get it to work properly."

While she wasn't too fond of Bill ordering her around, Pam nodded and concentrated on the glass Jesse was drinking from. Bill continued. "Now, Jesse, I think we can fulfill that request if you tell us who the guy is."

Jesse decided to milk the deal for all it was worth. "Look, I don't know the guy's name, but he wanted me to off Alexandrite because he was going to squeal about all 10 locations of plague bombs."

"Ten bombs? He was only found with one and a controller. The police found three more," said the FBI agent, noticing Pam was still concentrating on the glass.

"Yeah, but that controller was set for half of them. There is another controller as a backup, but the main guy has it."

"Well, tell us who it is and we can put the guy in jail like you," said Bill.

"I told you I don't..." he stopped when he saw his water glass move two inches. "Hey, wasn't that glass over there?"

Bill looked at Pam and gave her a subtle wink. "No, it was there all the time. Seems that prison's starting to drive you crazy." Again the glass moved, this time two feet.

"It moved, I saw it move this time." The glass fell into his lap, causing him to jump up. "Now that, you couldn't have missed."

Pam slightly shook her head and looked at the prisoner. "No, but that's because you caused it to fall into your lap. You had it on the edge of the table. I don't think an insanity plea would considered in court."

"Listen, I don't have to take this," Jesse said. "All right, I'll tell you. The guy's name is Derreck Onyx. He goes around pretending to be an informant, but all he does is spread disinformation to throw off the fuzz. He also has knows all 10 locations of the plague bombs. Now, will you give me protection?"

Bill looked at Pam and nodded. "Yeah, we will, and to help out, you might tell us others in the prison who could get you. Thanks for your time," he said.

After the two left the room, Pam turned to Bill. "Ralph was right, Derreck is up to no good, and I think it's not the only thing."

"Yeah, Counselor, but that doesn't tell us where he or the kid are. Let's go back to my place and see if we can't work out a scenario on getting him back."


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Ralph heard as he regained consciousness was the sound of his two kidnappers grumbling about a poker game. "Eights and 10s, I win again," said one of them.

"Blake, that's the dead man's hand you know," said the other. "You really need to quit pulling that hand. It's bad luck."

"Funny Dusty. You know, I don't see why Onyx hasn't come yet," said Blake. "He should've been here..."

As they were talking, Ralph kept his eyes closed and assessed the situation. He could tell he was on a couch of some sort with a thin blanket covering him from shoulders to knees. Ralph had a gag on, but surprisingly no binds on his hands or feet. 'Must think I'll be too weak from the chloroform and injuries to fight them again,' he mused. He kept quiet and listened to the other two talk.

---------------------------------------------------------------

While Ralph listened to his kidnappers, Pam and Bill were at Bill's apartment trying to work, well argue, out Ralph's dream, since it's becoming true as well. What Bill found out about Onyx didn't help out matters.

"Counselor, that's an absurd scenario," said Bill. "This guy's nuts. He blames the city for his sister's death for some reason. Only reason he hasn't set off the bombs is because of the security around town."

"Look, Bill, it makes sense. Ralph mentioned that Derreck and I were about to do more than kiss when he came in. When I had lunch with Derreck today, I could've sworn he was flirting too. I don't know what he wants with Ralph, but maybe if I play along..."

"It stinks. You can't just go out there and throw yourself..."

Pam clamped a hand over Bill's mouth to shush him when she started feeling vibes. "Quiet Bill, I'm getting a holograph, and I see Ralph."

"That must mean he's comin' to," said Bill, "What else do you see?"

"Well, he's in a house, and the two guys who kidnapped him are also there. He's got his eyes closed, probably pretending to still be unconscious. Wait, I'm hearing something..."

_"You know Dusty, I'm beginning to wonder why he wanted us to bag this guy. I mean, wouldn't it just have been easier to kill him? The guy's crazy for keeping him alive."_

_"He said he wanted to keep him on ice because he knows something and wants to find out why,"_ said Dusty._ "Onyx already planned to set those plague bombs off to avenge his sister's death. He blames the attorney and the city for that and wants them both to pay. Onyx was originally just going to grab her, but since he thinks the hubby knows something, now he plans to call her at her office in an hour. When she answers, he'll say he thinks he's seeing Hinkley making out with some dame next door."_

He cleared his throat and continued. _"Once he gets her here, he plans to make her submit to his wishes, or he'll kill Hinkley. Then, afterward when he's had his fun, he's going to set off the bombs to make the city pay. This virus he's got is so quick the state won't know what hit it..." _The holograph faded.

Bill looked at Pam and saw she was thinking. "Oh, come on Counselor, you're not thinking what I think you are?"

"Bill, we have no choice," she said.

"Well, why don't you try to turn invisible first? That way you can sneak in and clobber those guys without anyone noticing. Come on, try it."

Pam gave Bill a dirty glare at being ordered around again, but decided to go along with it. As she concentrated, she felt herself disappear, or so she thought.

"Come on, Counselor, I can see you. You've got to fade out all the way," said Bill, "otherwise you lose the element of surprise."

"I'm _trying_ Bill," said Pam, only to realize she was completely visible again. When she tried to turn invisible, there was no luck.

Pam turned to Bill and shook her head. "Won't work, at least if I try to do it. Look, I didn't get an address either, so I have to play along if we're going to get Ralph back and stop Derreck from setting off those bombs. Ralph can't play possum forever, and if those guys find out, they could kill him."

The agent thought for a moment and nodded. "You're right. I'd say we head back to the office so you can catch that call."

"Then you can follow me your car when I head over to his place," said Pam.

"Well, come on, let's go," said Bill, and both headed out the door. As they drove, they discussed how to throw a few surprises of their own to catch Onyx at his own game.

-------------------------------------------

Ralph kept his eyes closed as he continued listening to the men's conversation. 'So that's why they brought me here,' he thought. 'Keep me outta the way so Onyx could have his revenge.' The next comment he heard from the kidnappers turned his blood to ice.

"You know, Blake, I'm beginning to wonder if he's been playing us," said Dusty.

"Come on, Dusty, he's still out like a light."

"Nah, could be playing possum," the other said. "You know, it's been about four hours since we doped him, so he should've come around."

"All right, Dusty, I'll check and see," the man replied in exasperation, walking toward the couch.

As Blake walked, Ralph took a breath and let it out a little slowly, letting his body relax as much as possible. Once Blake approached, he decided to shake Ralph by his injured shoulder. Blake saw Ralph's face twitch slightly, but chalked it off as a subconscious reaction to pain. When he lifted one of Ralph's eyelids, Ralph rolled his eyes up as far as he could to try fool the other.

Blake brushed his hand on his pants and turned around to Dusty. "Nah, he's still out. If he was awake, he'd yelled out in pain when I shook his bum shoulder. His eyes are still rolled back in his head too. My guess is that he took a painkiller earlier and that with the chloroform is keeping him out."

Dusty chuckled a bit. "Yeah, forgot about that possibility. Probably just as well, that way the dame will be more willing to submit to whatever Onyx wants her to do."

Though his face was impassive, Ralph boiled in anger inside. 'Just you wait, pal. You won't know what hit you when you meet a souped up Pam wearing a set of magic jammies.' He thought about Pam and hoped that she and Bill would be able to stop this plan before both Pam was hurt and LA was destroyed.

-----------------------------------------

Pam and Bill just got into the office when they heard the phone ring. Pam waited a couple of moments before answering, "Hello, this is Pam Hinkley."

"Mrs. Hinkley, this is Derreck Onyx. Listen I need to talk to you..."

"Oh, we managed to get Alexandrite's killer to talk, but he still didn't give the name of the leader to us."

"Well...I heard he's a tough egg to crack," said Onyx. "But that's not what I'm talking about. You might want to sit down."

Pam looked at Bill and nodded, signaling that it was Onyx, and continued. "OK, what's wrong? Someone after you too?"

"No, it's your husband. I just saw him next door and he's making out with some woman."

"HE IS?" Pam shouted into the phone, even scaring Bill. "That...Wait until I get my hands on him..."

"Calm down, Mrs. Hinkley. I've got a good eye on him now, but why don't you come over to the house so you can catch him in the act. Then you'll have a reason to divorce him."

"OK, I'll be right over. What's the address?" She listened to Derreck and wrote it down. "Thanks, be there shortly."

After hanging up the phone she turned to Bill and noticed he was staring at her in shock. "Bill, I had to play along. Sorry if I scared you."

Bill shook out of his reprieve and nodded. "Right, good thinking Counselor. Now, let's head on over there and get these guys before they make everyone sick."

The two went to their separate cars and headed toward the house. Bill stayed about a half mile behind Pam's beetle, just in case someone was watching them.


	10. Chapter 10

Derreck entered the house and headed over toward the other two kidnappers. "Well, she's on her way," he said. "How's he doing?"

"He's alive," said Blake. "Still out though."

"Well, maybe we ought to give him a wakeup call," said Onyx as he headed toward the couch.

Ralph heard a shaking sound as a bottle was tapped. He realized it must be smelling salts and groaned inwardly. 'Great, can't pretend I'm still out anymore,' he thought, 'there's no way I won't react to them.' Ralph coughed when Onyx waved them under his nose proceeded to open his eyes slowly as though he had been out all that time. He looked at the men in confusion, and he hoped, a bit of fear to keep the ruse intact.

"Welcome back, Hinkley," said Onyx with a smirk on his face. "Sorry my boys had to drug you, but you needed to be here for our surprise."

Ralph, feeling almost as strong as he did wearing the jammies, acted as though he still was weak as he tried pointing to get the gag off. Onyx removed it and Ralph coughed. "What surprise, a housewarming? And I didn't bring a present."

"You could say that," said Derreck with a smug grin. "It will get warm here quickly when Pam gets here. And you're part of the reason. I lied to her that you were messing around with another woman and got her to come here. Now, she'll have to do whatever, and I mean whatever, I say or you'll die. She's part of the reason my sister died, letting that killer go free, so it's time for her to pay."

Although he already knew what Onyx had in mind, Ralph played along. "Why you son of a..." he said starting to sit up, but as he raised his head pretended that he was still dizzy and lay back down.

The men laughed at his apparent weakness. "Well, I guess that settles the question of whether or not we needed to tie you up," said Onyx. "You're too weak. Now, all we need to do is wait for Pam."

'Boy are you in for a surprise,' thought Ralph just as the doorbell rang.

Derreck smirked and opened up the door. Pam stood outside wearing a longsleeved blue blouse and pants, similar to Ralph's dream. She also had an angry look on her face. "All right, Derreck, I'm here, let's get that lousy traitor," said Pam.

Onyx smiled and let her in. As she entered, she turned and saw Ralph on the couch staring straight back at her in mock shock. "What's he doing here," said Pam.

"Well, he's here as insurance," said Onyx as he pulled a gun out and aimed it toward Ralph.

"So you're behind Alexandrite's death and the plague bomb," she said. "What's that got to do with me?"

"You were the lawyer who let that killer go free, but now, I also happen to fancy you," he said leering. "Now, you're going to do exactly as I say, and if you don't, your husband here will die."

Pam looked at Ralph, who in turn noticed the glimpse of red and black around her neck under the blouse. She nodded slightly and blinked, giving a wink in the exchange. Ralph took in the wink, knowing that she wasn't the only one coming.

"Looks like I have no choice," she said resignedly, "but don't hurt Ralph."

"Don't worry, Pam, I'd only have them do that if he put up a fight, but he's too weak from his injuries and the drugs my men gave him to hurt a fly. Now, let's go to the bedroom so we can 'talk.'"

As the two went into the bedroom, Dusty and Blake looked at each other and smirked. They then turned to look at Ralph. "Well, how does it feel to know that your wife will do anything for you, only to watch you die after the fact," said Dusty.

Having a feeling that Bill was about to make his appearance, Ralph decided to play along further. He gave a look of rage and sat up to try to deck Dusty, but when he sat up, he pretended to faint.

The two men caught Ralph as he nearly fell off the couch, though the blanket had come off, and lowered him back down on the couch, laughing. "You know, we get to hear all the action and make him suffer even more," said Blake. "Let's wake him up again..."

"Freeze it, FBI, this is a bust. Put your hands in the air and drop those guns," said Bill in a quiet growl. Ralph placed his bets right as Bill snuck in during the ruse.

While Blake decided to drop his weapon, Dusty decided to instead aim a shot at Bill. Ralph proceeded to help Bill out by swinging a leg into Dusty's gut, cutting of the man's chance to yell for help. Dusty dropped the gun as he fell to the ground.

Bill kicked the gun away and said quietly, "Ralph, you all right?"

"Yeah, fine as I can be. Now, I have a score to settle, you think you can handle it from here?" said Ralph as he tilted his head toward the door. When Bill nodded Ralph turned toward the bedroom door. Praying this part wouldn't turn real, he peeked inside finding Pam and Derreck sitting on the bed.

Onyx looked at her and smiled. "All right, you just stay right there and I'll be right back," he said, entering the bathroom and closing the door. Ralph then saw Pam strip down to the jammies and glance at the door, signaling that he needed to get out of the way. Ralph stepped away, thinking how much he was going to enjoy this.

When he returned, Onyx took a long look at Pam in the suit. "What on earth is that..." his voice turned into a shout as Pam picked him up by the scruff of the collar and threw him as though a rag doll through the door.

Pam entered back into the living room, only to see Derreck stand up and pull a device out of his pocket. "Cute, but now, you're going to ALL do what I say or the state of California will be infected right now."

Bill dropped his gun and the other two men joined Derreck. "Now, Pam and I are going to continue where we left off. Then, we'll see what happens," said Onyx.

Bill and Ralph sat down on the couch while the other two men stood next to them, guns in hand. Onyx turned to Pam and smiled. She just stood there stoically. "Now Pam, you wouldn't want one of my men to hurt your precious Ralph," said Onyx with a smirk.

Ralph looked at Pam and noticed a glint in her gray eyes. It was the same glint he had all those years ago when... He turned to Bill, who was nearer to Pam, and noticed he was sweating slightly in the cool room. Bill turned back and gave him a knowing look. This was going to be fun, they thought.

"Well Pam, aren't you coming," said Onyx with a hint of impatience in his voice. Just then, the card table behind Pam caught on fire. "What the hell," he shouted a bit distracted. He noticed the triggering device seemed to float out of his hand into Ralph's. Blake and Dusty also stared at the site in disbelief.

Ralph and Bill quickly stood up and got out of the way of the fire. Bill then proceeded to deck Blake while Ralph ducked to keep Dusty from grabbing the device. Pam turned and picked up Dusty, throwing him out the window. She then threw out Blake out the same window.

In about 30 seconds it was just Onyx, Pam, Bill and Ralph. Onyx looked at them in confusion, but then threw a punch at Ralph, hitting him in the jaw.

Ralph fell toward the coffee table, only to be stopped when Pam caught his left hand and pulled him up. After wrapping her arm around his ribs to steady him, she turned toward Onyx again, this time with an anger in her eyes even Ralph hadn't seen.

Using all his defenses, Onyx pulled a revolver out of his pocket, aimed a shot at her and fired. Pam covered her head with her arms, deflecting the bullet. When Onyx tried to fire again, Pam took the gun out of his hand, crushing it.

When Onyx tried to punch her, she lifted him in the air with one hand and tapped his head against the fireplace. The man sagged, out cold. She then stooped to pick Onyx up in a fireman's carry and brought him outside with Ralph and Bill in tow.

Ralph called the fire department while Bill handcuffed the three unconscious men. After hanging up the phone, Ralph turned to Pam and covered her shoulders with the jacket Bill gave him. "Ralph, I'm not cold," she said, trying to brush off the jacket.

"I know honey, but I don't think you want anyone to see you in the suit," said Ralph, with a slight cough.

"So what, I don't want you to catch..."

"Look will the two of you quit bantering around and get outta here," said Bill. "I can take it from here."

Pam turned to Ralph and shrugged. "You feel up to flying?"

"So long as you know what you're doing," said Ralph. "I can't afford to nurse a broken leg too."

Pam chuckled softly and picked him in her arms, took three steps and jumped, taking flight without so much as a wobble.

As they were flying, Ralph took a look at the city from the sky. "You know Pam, I never noticed how beautiful the city was from the air. Then again, I'm usually trying to avoid trees and billboards," he said chuckling.

Pam blushed slightly, knowing how he felt. "Well, I'll confess that I haven't had it perfect either. I crashed into a bulldozer today while I was trying to catch the van they brought you to the house in. Had to pretend I was a new super heroine for a movie."

Ralph laughed at the comment, but stopped when he noticed something funny. "Pam, I don't know how to explain it, but my ribs don't hurt. Do you think it could be..."

"Oh Ralph, I don't know," said Pam.

"Pam, I'm wondering if it could be the suit? I mean, when you put your arm around my ribs to steady me, I could swear I felt a warm tingling sensation in my bones. Seemed that part of the room was brighter too."

"Ralph, that glow in the room was more than likely from the fire," said Pam. "Besides, you could still be doped up some from the drug."

"Maybe, but why don't we see how I feel tomorrow? If I feel the same, it might not be the fire that made me feel this way. It might be the suit helping me heal."

Both of them smiled as they landed at their home. Pam's feet slipped in the grass and Ralph ended up sitting in Pam's lap. "Flying, 10, landing...11," said Ralph with a grin. Pam just laughed and gave him a kiss. The two stood up and headed into the house.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, Bill knocked on the door to be greeted by Pam wearing the suit. "Bill, glad you're here, why don't you come in," she said. "You seem to be in a good mood."

"Boy, you guys won't believe this," said Bill with a chuckle on his voice. "Carlisle was beside himself when I presented him a report on Onyx and his men. That one guy, Dusty, even admitted to sideswiping the car. He was trying to kill you to make the Counselor suffer."

"What about Alexandrite and Pam," said Ralph as he entered the room with a cup of coffee. He was wearing a robe and a pair of pajamas. His arm was still in a sling.

"Well, Alexandrite had his change of heart when he realized that a lot of innocent people were going to be killed because Onyx was upset at the court system. A man was released on a technicality, but decided to turn sour again and robbed a store. Onyx's sister was in the store when the guy decided to have a standoff with the police. She was killed first when he started killing hostages. After his sister's murder, he sued the law firm and the state for negligence and lost. When Onyx's inside man told him about what was going down, Onyx ordered Alexandrite killed."

He cleared his throat before continuing, knowing this would not be easy to tell the two. "As far as the Counselor, Onyx blamed her personally because she was the creep's lawyer. He became more obsessed to exact revenge when he found out she became a junior partner. I found out today from Blake that had things gone down the way they planned, after Onyx had his way with Counselor he was going to kill the both of you. The bombs were going to be set off later in the evening when security was less intense. And, the lab found out that the virus was powerful enough to kill everyone in the state within hours."

Pam and Ralph looked at each other and shivered. "Good thing the suit let Pam wear it," said Ralph.

"Yeah, hate to admit it, but it was a good thing the Counselor had the jammies on," said Bill. "Did great work too. Now, why did the two of you ask me here?"

Ralph smiled and stood. "Well Bill, on my flight home, I noticed that my ribs didn't hurt anymore."

"That's great kid, must be that old 'Hinkley healing' something or other," said Bill.

"Well, we're not sure about that, we think it might be the suit," said Pam. When Bill opened his mouth to comment, Pam put a hand up. "Bill, I know what you're going to say, 'it can't be because it didn't work with Ralph wearing them.' But, now we think it couldn't help him when he wore it because it was an injury he had outside the suit's protection, sorta like when he hit the train with his head. His head wasn't protected, so the suit couldn't help him with his amnesia."

"And, as such, needed someone else to wear it to help me," said Ralph. "Last night, when Pam kept me from falling into the coffee table, she wrapped her hand around my ribs to steady me. When she did, I felt this tingling sensation in my ribs and it seemed the room was brighter. After that, I didn't feel any pain in them, even when I coughed or laughed. At first, we weren't sure if it was any lingering effects of the chloroform numbing the pain. Today, however, I still don't hurt, and there aren't any bruises from the impact"

Bill took in the information but still had his doubts. "All right, why don't you try it again, but this time, the shoulder."

Pam nodded and put her hand on Ralph's shoulder. When she did that, there was a warm orange-yellow glow, almost like a fire's glow, that came from the suit to her hand and encompassed the other's shoulder.

Once the glow faded, Ralph blinked and tested his arm, straightening it out to shoulder level. Bill and Pam looked at him questioningly and he smiled. "It feels great," said Ralph, "Look, I can wave my hand in the air and it doesn't hurt. Still will have to wear the sling for another week so there's no questions, but I don't have to wear it 24-7."

The two laughed at Ralph's expressions of wonder and joy, but then started to think about the suit. "Ralph, what about the jammies," asked Bill.

"Don't know," said Ralph, quieting down. "I basically said that the suit could be Pam's for the time for all it was worth. Maybe she has to do the same thing in order for me to wear them again."

"Well, Counselor, why don't you do that and everything will be back to normal," said Bill. When she didn't say anything, he frowned. "Come on Counselor, that's an order. You know that the green guys want Ralph to wear the jammies, and now that he's healed, he should have them back."

Pam leaned over to Ralph and whispered something in his ear. Ralph nodded and winked. Pam then stood and picked up Bill in a fireman's carry. "Counselor, what are you doing? Put me down," shouted Bill as Pam brought him outside. She took three steps and took flight with Bill over her shoulders.

Ralph watched from the ground and laughed at the site. After about three minutes, Pam landed and lowered Bill to the ground. "I've always wanted to do that if I had the jammies," said Pam to a grinning Ralph. "Thanks for letting me do that."

Bill, while laughing inside with the two, kept his face stern. "Well, now that the two of you had your fun, could you please give Ralph back the jammies," Bill pleaded.

Pam nodded and went inside to change. When she came out, she handed the suit to Ralph. "Ralph, the suit is yours for all its worth," she said with a smile. The suit again gave a slight glow and a moment later, Ralph was wearing them.

He looked down and smiled. "You know, for as much as I think this suit's messing up my life, I have to admit I missed them," he said.

"Well, now that you have the suit back kid, I have a scenario that will make Carlisle have kittens..." Bill started.

"Hold on there partner. I just got the suit back and I need to get used to it again. Why don't we go out and eat then we can talk about suit scenarios," said Ralph. "Or, do you want me to loan Pam the suit again?"

While Bill was pretty sure that Ralph couldn't just hand over the suit on a whim, he wasn't going to take his chances. "All right, you win. Where do you want to go?"

"How about that seafood place next to Pam's office," said Ralph heading back inside with the two. After Ralph put on his street clothes over the suit and, just in case someone saw him, sling, the three got inside Pam's VW beetle. They made sure they put on their seat belts and Pam put the car in gear, backing up. As they traveled down the road, they began sharing other stories about Pam wearing the suit, several causing the two men to laugh. The banter continued all the way to the restaurant. As they got out, Pam and Ralph looked at each other and smiled, knowing they shared more than the jammies for a while, they shared each others love.


End file.
